Tough Love
by GenieMaster
Summary: LAST CHAPTER! For those of you who can't remember since it's been so long: HH, DP, BP, and a little something else at the end that even I didn't see coming...R&R pretty please!
1. Surprise!

Hello once again people! I have decided to write another fic! Possibly one of many yet to come! Anyhow.just so you guys know this is gonna be a D+P / H+H fic (no, no, no, not Hamtaro+Howdy, I do not write yaoi, k? If you don't know what H+H couple I'm talking about, well, you'll find out soon enough. Just read this story. And review it please. Flame if you want, I really don't care.  
  
~  
  
It was a beautiful morning. A wonderfully beautiful morning. One of those days where the air is so crisp and fresh and the sky seems so pure and endless that you can't help but smile at the wonders of life.  
  
And this is exactly what Dexter was doing on his way to the clubhouse. His meditative silence was broken, however, when he passed below the window of the grocery store and heard a shout from above him. He looked up.  
  
"Hey, Dex!" It was, of course, Howdy. "Wait fer me!"  
  
Howdy jumped down from the window and fell in step with Dexter.  
  
"Good morning," Dexter said pleasantly.  
  
Howdy nodded in reply. "It is that." Howdy was silent for a minute. Then he cleared his throat and said, "Hey Dex."  
  
"Yeah?" Dexter said.  
  
"There's uh.... well, there's something I just hafta get off my chest, and seeing as how yer right there, I might as well tell you."  
  
"What? What is it?" Dexter said, surprised.  
  
"Well, it's like this," Howdy replied. "I...uh...well there's this girl, see..."  
  
"You have a crush on someone?" Dexter said.  
  
Howdy went red. "Yeah."  
  
"Not Pashmina?"  
  
"Nah. I wouldn't try to take her from you."  
  
"Then..." Dexter considered this for a moment. "Is it Bijou? You know Boss will pummel you if he finds out."  
  
"No, it ain't Bijou," Howdy said.  
  
"Hmm." Dexter thought some more. "It's not Sandy, is it? I don't think she'd be with anyone besides Max."  
  
"No, not Sandy," Howdy said.  
  
"Penelope's a little young for you, don'tcha think?"  
  
"Not Penelope!" Howdy said, starting to get annoyed.  
  
"And Auntie Viv is kinda old..."  
  
Howdy held his head in his paws. "No, no, no!"  
  
Dexter continued to think of other female hamsters he knew of. "Oxnard will be pretty upset if he finds out you like Pepper."  
  
"Not Pepper either!" Howdy practically screamed.  
  
Dexter was enjoying this.  
  
"I can't believe you have a crush on Sparkle after the way she treated us."  
  
"NO!!!!!!" Howdy shouted. "Why the heke would I have a crush on Sparkle? It's Hannah, okay? I have a crush on Hannah!!!"  
  
Dexter's eyes widened. Then he started humming and dancing around.  
  
"Are you feeling okay?" Howdy said. "What are you so dern happy about?"  
  
Dexter shrugged. "You and Hannah would make a cute couple, Howdy."  
  
Howdy blushed. "Think so?"  
  
Dexter nodded, then took Howdy by the paws and started twirling him around.  
  
"Someone's in a good mood," Howdy muttered.  
  
"The thing is," Dexter said, talking and twirling Howdy at the same time, "To be perfectly honest, ever since me and Pashmina became a couple, I've been kind of hoping you would find someone else. You know, didn't want you to feel lonely."  
  
Howdy smiled despite himself. "You really mean that?"  
  
Dexter smiled and dipped Howdy.  
  
"And you and Hannah have so much in common. It's like you're meant for each other."  
  
"You don't think it's strange, then?" Howdy asked.  
  
"What do you mean?" Dexter said. He finally stopped dancing.  
  
"Well, ya know, we've been friends for a long time, me and Hannah. Just friends, nothing more. And now suddenly I'm in love with her. That's not weird to you?"  
  
"Not in the least," Dexter said honestly. "It's probably because now that me and Pashmina are together, you've finally realized what deeper feelings you have for Hannah."  
  
"You ever consider getting a job as a therapist? Or psychologist?" Howdy said jokingly.  
  
Dexter chuckled, and then they were on their way to the clubhouse again.  
  
~  
  
Everyone looked up as the door to the clubhouse opened.  
  
"Howdy, ya'll," Howdy said as he entered. Then his eyes widened in surprise as he recognized a face at the table that he hadn't seen in some time.  
  
"Howdy!" Hannah rose from her seat, ran over and gave him a quick hug. "I can't remember the last time we saw each other!"  
  
Dexter, who had entered the clubhouse right behind Howdy, smiled and said, "I know I do."  
  
Hannah smiled back. Then she gave Dexter a quick hug hello too, and turned back to Howdy.  
  
"My owner's here for a few days on business," she told him. "So I came here. And I thought maybe we could go to the fun park again, like last time?"  
  
"I, uh...umm...I mean...Yeah, that'd be great," Howdy said. It was easy to tell how nervous he was, and Hannah took offense to this.  
  
"You don't seem happy to see me," she said dejectedly.  
  
"Of course I'm happy to see you!" Howdy said quickly. "There's just a lot on my mind, I guess."  
  
Dexter smirked, knowing exactly what Howdy meant by that although Hannah still didn't have a clue.  
  
"Well, let's get going then!" Hannah said happily, running out of the clubhouse and dragging Howdy behind her. "This is gonna be great!"  
  
~  
  
I know it's not much yet, but the plot will thicken next chapter! So keep reading! And please tell me what you think! Even if you hate it! I need those reviews! 


	2. Guilt Trip

Hey guys, thanks for all the great reviews!!! I'm glad to hear that other people like the idea of Howdy+Hannah too, cuz I haven't seen any other stories with that couple in them. Oh yeah - to Haily-Comet - I will try to work some Bijou/Panda into this, k? I promise! None this chapter, but perhaps later. If I can't figure out a way to get that couple in here a lot then maybe I'll write a whole separate Bijou+Panda fic, just 4 u! Cuz you're an awesome person!  
  
Also, I would have updated this a lot sooner, but I live in VA and we got hit pretty darn hard by hurricane Isabel, and our power was off for six days (actually, we still haven't gotten power back but we borrowed my grandparents' generator cuz they got their power back yesterday). Yeah, we had like this huge tree fall down in our yard, and it smashed our fence and went into our neighbor's yard - but it wasn't so bad since a lot of people had trees fall ON their houses - so we were lucky - but there's like three places in my neighborhood where trees fell on power lines. That's why we don't have power back yet. On the bright side, we've gotten a whole week off of school! Yay! Sorry - I probably just bored people to death - which means less people to read my story. Oh well. On with the fic.  
  
~  
  
"Hoo boy, that was awesome!" Hannah said happily after she and Howdy got off the roller coaster. "That's my favorite ride! Let's go again!"  
  
"Um, actually..." Howdy said quietly.  
  
"What is it?" Hannah said. "Howdy, you've been acting strange all day. I don't get it."  
  
"Well, can I talk to you in private?" Howdy asked nervously.  
  
Hannah gave him a funny look, but then nodded in agreement. Howdy lead her into the shade of a big tree on the edge of the park and took both her paws in his.  
  
"There's something I've really been wanting to tell you," Howdy said once he made sure they were alone. "But I couldn't quite decide on how to tell you."  
  
Hannah tilted her head just slightly. "What?"  
  
"Well, I...uh...See, I just... Well I..."  
  
Hannah waited patiently for a moment while Howdy struggled with his words.  
  
"Hannah I love you," he said hurriedly, finally finding the courage to do so.  
  
Hannah's surprise showed clearly in her eyes but not so much in her voice. "Howdy..." she said slowly.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I love you too."  
  
Howdy was taken aback. He wasn't quite sure how to respond. He hadn't expected this but now that he realized what Hannah was saying, he felt completely happy and relieved.  
  
"You...you do?" he said.  
  
Hannah nodded.  
  
"Since when?"  
  
"Since I saw you this morning."  
  
Howdy was genuinely surprised. This was all too sudden. But he felt a wave of emotion fall over him, and without quite realizing what he was doing he began to lean in to Hannah, his lips moving closer to hers. She began to lean into him as well, but suddenly, when their mouths had almost met, she stopped and turned away.  
  
Howdy hadn't been expecting this, and he kept leaning and fell flat on his face in the dust.  
  
"Oh! I'm so sorry," Hannah said, and helped him up.  
  
"What was that about?" Howdy said. "I thought you said you loved me."  
  
"I do, but..."  
  
"But what?"  
  
"We can't do this. Not yet. It's too soon. It would break his heart."  
  
"Who? What are you talking about?"  
  
"Dexter."  
  
Howdy was shocked. Then he remembered the last time Hannah had paid them a visit, when she had fallen in love with Dexter and asked Howdy to find out if he had any feelings for her. Of course he didn't, but Howdy had told her he did just to make her happy. Now it was coming back to haunt him. Hannah still thought Dexter was in love with her.  
  
Howdy fumbled for an excuse. Anything that would make it better without having to tell Hannah that he had lied.  
  
"Hannah, I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure he's gotten over it by now."  
  
"I wouldn't be so sure," Hannah said. "Maybe he still dreams about me. Maybe he thinks I'll fall in love with him all over again. Especially now that I'm here."  
  
"But Hannah, he has a girlfriend now anyway."  
  
"What?" Hannah gasped. "Who?"  
  
"Pashmina," Howdy said. Maybe now Hannah would understand.  
  
"Oh, poor Dexter," Hannah said softly. "He's so lovesick over me that he found himself another girl to make up for me while I'm away from him."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Howdy demanded.  
  
"It's obvious he still loves me," Hannah said.  
  
Howdy sighed. Apparently there was no way out of this one but the truth.  
  
"Look, Hannah, I have a confession," Howdy said.  
  
"What?" Hannah looked up at him.  
  
"Well, you see... Dex, he, well he..."  
  
"Oh my god, he died in a tragic mini golf accident?!?!" Hannah gasped.  
  
"No!" Howdy said. "What gave you that idea? He's perfectly alive and well. In fact he's sitting right over there."  
  
Hannah turned her head and looked to where Howdy was pointing. Dexter and Pashmina were sitting together in the shade, sharing a cotton candy. "Oh. Oh yeah," Hannah said. "Then what is it?"  
  
"Well, he..."  
  
"Oh my god! His arm got cut off in a tragic mini golf accident and now he has a robotic claw for an arm?!?!" Hannah gasped again.  
  
"What in the world?" Howdy said. "Does that look like a robotic claw to you?"  
  
Hannah squinted her eyes across the park. "Dunno. It's hard to tell from here."  
  
Howdy smacked himself in the head. "Hannah, you saw him up close earlier, remember?"  
  
"Oh. Oh yeah." Hannah said.  
  
Howdy sighed. "The truth is, Hannah...Dexter never actually really truly had a crush on you."  
  
"What?!" Hannah gasped. "What do you mean? You told me he was in love with me! You mean he lied about his love for me?"  
  
"Um...no," Howdy shook his head. "I did."  
  
Hannah didn't say anything, but her eyes welled up with tears.  
  
"Hannah, I did it because I knew it would make you happy!" Howdy said. "Not to be mean or rude or selfish or anything like that! Only because I wanted you to be happy!"  
  
The tears spilled down her cheeks. "I-I can't believe you," Hannah stuttered. "Out of everyone I know I thought I could trust you the most! But you've proved me wrong!" Hannah began sobbing. "What, you thought I was that weak? That I wouldn't be able to handle the truth?" she said between sobs.  
  
"That's not it at all!" Howdy said. He tried to calm her by holding her paws in his, but she tore herself away and slapped him across the face. Howdy put one paw to his face, feeling it turn red and warm, as he watched Hannah run off, leaving him standing alone with his guilt.  
  
~  
  
Dexter saw Hannah running towards him with tears streaming down her face, and immediately stood up. As she rushed by him he grabbed her arm and said "What's wrong?" but she wrenched herself away and continued running past him.  
  
"What's going on?" Pashmina said, also standing up beside Dexter.  
  
"I haven't the slightest idea," Dexter said. He turned and saw Howdy standing alone on the other side of the park, leaning his forehead against a tree.  
  
"Excuse me for a moment," Dexter said to Pashmina, then walked over to Howdy.  
  
"What happened?" he asked concernedly.  
  
"None of your business," Howdy said, turning away.  
  
"Come on, tell me," Dexter said pleadingly.  
  
Howdy remained facing the other way but sighed and said quietly, "She's mad at me. Really mad."  
  
"What? Why?" Dexter asked.  
  
"I don't know why you even care," Howdy said, "But if you hafta know, it's because I told her that I lied about you having a crush on her."  
  
"Oh." Dexter looked towards the sky for a minute, then back at Howdy. "Well maybe you just need to talk to her about why you lied. You shouldn't really be blamed for it, since you only did what you thought was right."  
  
"I tried explaining it to her!" Howdy shouted. "She won't listen!"  
  
"Well, then you could -"  
  
"Look, just leave me alone, okay?" Howdy said angrily. Dexter didn't protest. He walked back towards Pashmina with one glance over his shoulder at Howdy's lonely figure, his face in his paws.  
  
~  
  
No! Poor Howdy! Sorry.okay, more reviews please.u can flame if you want.and there will be more D+P later, I kno there hasn't been much yet but it gets mushier later!!! Hahaha!!! Alright. I'm gonna calm down now. 


	3. Hannah Has Some Issues

More reviews means MORE STORY! Sorry, hyper right now, I just found out that I get the rest of the week off of school!! Yaya! Also, if anyone is wondering why I haven't updated The Untold Hamtaro yet, it's cuz I have the second chapter already written on the computer in my room, but we still don't have power and the generator is only connected to the downstairs computer and not the one in my room. So anyhow, as soon as we get power back I'll update that story. Until then, enjoy reading Tough Love.  
  
~  
  
Hannah was sobbing, holding her face and letting tears slip through her fingers and splash on the ground. She was leaning against a tree deep in the woods, thinking hard. Why had everything gone so wrong?  
  
Just then, she heard someone walk up behind her. Without turning her head she said, "Leave me alone, Howdy! I don't want to talk to you any more right now!"  
  
"You shouldn't be so hard on him," came Dexter's voice.  
  
Hannah stopped crying and turned her head to look behind her. "Oh. I'm sorry. I thought you were Howdy."  
  
Dexter walked up beside her, but he didn't look at her. Instead he held his gaze deeper into the woods, as if searching for something there.  
  
"You know, Howdy really loves you."  
  
"What are you doing telling me that for?" Hannah demanded. "He's nothing but a liar. Since he lied about you how am I supposed to believe he wasn't lying when he said he loved me?"  
  
"Hannah, please," Dexter said. "You should give him another chance. You know, me and Howdy, we have our differences. But he's a great friend of mine and I know that you would be happy together."  
  
"How can I love someone that I can't trust?" was all Hannah could say.  
  
"He lied so you would be happy. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Dexter asked.  
  
"It means he's a liar, that's what it means to me," Hannah replied. "A lie is a lie no matter how you look at it."  
  
"Okay, so maybe Howdy doesn't always make the best decisions," Dexter said. "But that shouldn't matter. All that matters is he loves you. Don't you see that?"  
  
Hannah turned to Dexter. "You're really sticking up for him, aren't you?"  
  
Dexter smiled. "I guess that's why we're such good friends. Even though we argue a lot, we always stick up for each other. That's what friends are for."  
  
"Howdy sent you to talk to me, didn't he?"  
  
Dexter was shocked. "No! What makes you think that?"  
  
Hannah shrugged. "I guess it just seems like something he would do." Hannah looked at Dexter. Dexter looked at Hannah.  
  
And then she did something that really surprised him.  
  
"Dexter, will you do me a favor?" she asked.  
  
"Sure, anything."  
  
"Kiss me."  
  
"What?!" Dexter shouted, completely taken aback.  
  
"You heard me," Hannah said.  
  
"But why? What's going on? I thought you weren't in love with me anymore!" Dexter said.  
  
Hannah shrugged. "I'm not," she said.  
  
"Then why -?"  
  
"Because...because, well...when I was in love with you...I...I always used to imagine what it would be like to kiss you. And since I never got to find out - now's as good as ever, isn't it?" Hannah asked innocently.  
  
"No!" Dexter replied. "Because I have a girlfriend and Howdy's in love with you!"  
  
"Oh, come on," Hannah said. "No one will ever know. Just one little kiss. Kind of an end-of-our-relationship kiss?"  
  
"Hannah, we never had a relationship," Dexter said, exasperated.  
  
Hannah had given up arguing and now simply began leaning into Dexter. She planted her lips on his, and then there was nothing he could do. She kissed him. Not just a kiss. A kiss kiss. Passionate. Deep. Loving.  
  
Dexter couldn't take it any more. He pulled away from Hannah hastily. "I - I can't do this," he stuttered, aghast. "If Pashmina finds out she's going to kill me. And Hannah - we're not in love. I don't love you. You don't love me. Or if you do, then what makes you any better than Howdy, since you just told me you don't?"  
  
"You're right. I'm sorry," Hannah said.  
  
There was an awkward silence. Then Dexter turned to leave.  
  
"How long are you going to stay here?" he asked Hannah before he left. "It's getting dark, and I'm going home."  
  
"Oh. I guess I should get going, too," Hannah replied. "But maybe I'll stay here a little longer. You can go."  
  
"You sure you'll be okay?" Dexter asked her.  
  
"Yeah," she said. "I know the way back."  
  
"You sure you don't want me to stay with you?" Dexter said apprehensively.  
  
"Don't worry. I'll be fine."  
  
"Okay. Good night, then." Dexter began to walk away, then felt Hannah grab his paw.  
  
"Dexter," she said.  
  
He turned back around to face her. "Yes?"  
  
"Um..." Hannah was silent a moment, then said, "Next time you see Howdy...do me a favor and tell him...tell him I forgive him, okay?"  
  
Dexter smiled and nodded. "You got it," he said happily, and left in good spirits, knowing he's been able to help Howdy out. Then again, there was still that kiss...there had been something in it...it had felt so real, like it had come from someone who was madly in love with him. Why had she done that? What was going on?  
  
Suddenly, he heard the bushes to his left rustle, and looked over. He was surprised to see Howdy climb out of the bush, brush a twig off his arm, and look him square in the face.  
  
"So. This is how it's gonna be," Howdy said.  
  
"Howdy? What are you talking about?" Dexter asked, confused.  
  
"I saw what just happened!" Howdy yelled. "I have eyes, ya know!"  
  
"You mean you were spying on me and Hannah just now?" Dexter asked, surprised and annoyed.  
  
"I can't believe this," Howdy said. "You are nothing but a filthy, sneaky rat! Cheating on Pashmina like that! With the gal I'm in love with! Could you possibly be any lower?"  
  
"Oh, no, you've got it all wrong," Dexter said hastily. "That kiss? That wasn't me. That wasn't my fault. I'm not in love with Hannah! I don't know what possessed her to do that but I -"  
  
"Oh, so now yer blaming it on her?" Howdy said angrily. "Using Hannah to cover up your own faults?"  
  
"Howdy, please, let me explain -"  
  
Howdy was boiling over with rage, a time bomb about to explode. Without warning he curled his paw into a fist and punched Dexter hard in the stomach. Dexter doubled over in pain, holding his stomach.  
  
"That's for Pashmina," Howdy said monotonously.  
  
"Howdy, please," Dexter said unsteadily, gasping for air. "You've got to believe me!"  
  
Howdy shook his head and started walking away. "I thought I knew you, Dex. I didn't think in a million years you'd do something like this." Dexter watched him walk away, trying to get his attention by saying, "Wait! Howdy!" but he couldn't catch up with him because he was still in pain and couldn't find the strength to run.  
  
"Howdy...Hannah said...she said she forgives you! She wanted me to tell you that!" Dexter shouted as loud as he could after Howdy. Howdy paused, started to look back over his shoulder, and then shook his head and continued walking away.  
  
Dexter just stood there, and watched Howdy disappear from view. After a moment, the pain eased and he was able to catch his breath. He turned around and walked deeper into the woods, searching for Hannah. It was no use. She had vanished into the night and was now nowhere to be found.  
  
~  
  
Poor Dexter! Talk about a gigantic mess, huh? What's gonna happen now??? You'll have to wait for the next chappie. Possibly some Bijou+Panda to come (for Haily-Comet!) and I might try to squeeze in some S+Mness (for my good friend Numbuh 7!). Anyhow, that's it for now. Keep them reviews a-comin'! That's what I like, baby! 


	4. A Love In Flames, And One Just Begun?

I ish so happy with all the good reviews I've been getting! Thanx so much to all who have taken the time to review my story so far! Happy happy happy!  
  
~  
  
"Where's Hannah? Has anyone seen her? I need to talk to Hannah!" Dexter said as he burst into the clubhouse the next morning.  
  
Everyone looked up at him as he came in, then quickly turned away. Only Pashmina remained staring fixedly at him. Dexter looked back at her, and he realized that her eyes were red and puffy, as if she had been crying hard, and tears still glistened on her face. A sudden thought struck Dexter. Had Howdy told her what he had seen?  
  
"Pashmina, what's going on?" Dexter asked, trying to conceal his anxiety.  
  
Pashmina slammed her fists on the table and stood up. Her eyes were welling up with tears again.  
  
"Don't play dumb with me!" she yelled at him. "You know what's going on! Howdy told me everything! I can't believe you! I just can't believe you!"  
  
"Pashmina, I - Let me explain! There is nothing, absolutely nothing between me and Hannah!"  
  
Pashmina walked over to him, held his gaze for several seconds, then promptly slapped him across the face.  
  
"I hate you!" she cried. "You're a filthy, sneaky rat!"  
  
"You know, Howdy said the exact same thing, and he didn't let me explain it to him either! Please, Pashmina, you have to listen to me!"  
  
"What is there to explain?" Pashmina said. "No, I don't have to listen to your crap! I can't take this! I'm going home!" She rushed out of the clubhouse with tears streaming down her cheeks, and slammed the door behind her.  
  
Dexter couldn't believe what was happening. Everything was falling apart because of Hannah. Or had Howdy started the whole thing the first time he had lied to Hannah? Or, then, was it his own fault? Nothing was clear anymore. Nothing made sense. He started to turn to follow Pashmina, but then realized that it wouldn't help. She wasn't about to listen to him. He needed Hannah to make this right, to explain what had happened.  
  
Dexter's eyes scanned the room, searching for Howdy. He wasn't there. Dexter sighed.  
  
"Anyone know where Hannah is?" he asked quietly.  
  
No one answered. Apparently trying not to involve themselves in the matter.  
  
"Yeah. Thanks," Dexter said, turning to leave. "You guys are real helpful." He opened the door and started to step out, then paused. "You believe me, don't you?" he asked them. "You guys know I would never do anything to hurt Pashmina in any way. You know that, right?"  
  
Still no one answered. But Dexter didn't blame them. He knew they didn't want to risk taking sides in this matter. That would just lead to more anger. More hate. More raised voices and hurtful words.  
  
However, as he was closing the door behind him Dexter felt a paw on his shoulder. He turned and looked up. Boss was standing behind him, a concerned and sympathetic look on his face.  
  
"Hey," Boss said. "I believe you, little buddy. But this is something you're gonna hafta work out yourself."  
  
Dexter managed a weak smile. "Thanks, Boss. You're right."  
  
Boss smiled back. "When the going gets tough, the tough get going," he said, giving Dexter a slight shove out the door. "And if it ever seems like the whole world is against you, I got your back," he called to him as Dexter made his way up the tunnel. "Remember that."  
  
That was good ol' Boss for you. He always knew the right thing to say.  
  
~  
  
Hannah was running. Running from herself and the trouble she had caused. Deeper and deeper into the woods, never looking back, never turning around. Finally she ran out of breath, stumbled and fell on the ground, crying. She was so mad at herself. She had seen how mad Howdy was at Dexter. And it was her fault. But now she didn't know what to do.  
  
Just then, she heard a loud clap of thunder overhead. She looked up. Rain began falling, lightly at first and then harder and harder. A flash of lightning lit up the sky. Hannah wanted to turn and run all the way home. But she glanced around and realized she was lost. Which way had she come from? She couldn't remember. Forgetting herself she broke down and sobbed, her tears mixing with the new rain.  
  
~  
  
The general mood back at the clubhouse was solemn and gloomy. Since no one had seen what had happened between Hannah and Dexter, they weren't sure what to believe.  
  
Bijou let her thoughts wander while Maxwell tried to start some light conversation. She glanced over in Hamtaro's direction. Then she sighed. For so long she had been trying to get his attention, to somehow make him notice her. But he was so hopeless when it came to love! He didn't understand love in the least. She could tell how confused he was at what was going on with Howdy, Dexter, Pashmina and Hannah. So how was she supposed to get him to understand how she felt about him? Sometimes it almost made her feel like crying, how clueless he was.  
  
Sandy and Maxwell had each other. Pashmina had Dexter - or, at least, she used to. So why couldn't she, Bijou, find someone who could just love her for who she was and she could love back in the same way? She knew that Boss was in love with her, but somehow he didn't seem to be the one she was looking for. She thought she was in love with Hamtaro, but after all her constant attempts to get his attention he still didn't seem to notice her. What was she doing wrong?  
  
Bijou sighed again and drew her eyes away from Hamtaro. She glanced across the table quickly. And in just that instant, she thought she saw Panda's eyes lock with hers.  
  
Bijou looked away quickly, blushing. Had she seen what she thought she had? Or was she just so love-deprived that the slightest glance looked like a loving gesture to her? It was impossible to describe the way she had just felt. Something in Panda's eyes had caught her attention. Something about the way he looked at her and tried to hold her gaze. It had to have been something.  
  
~  
  
There you go, Haily-Comet! A little bit o' B+P for your enjoyment! There will be more later, yes indeed. I'm actually a B+B fan, but after reading what I just wrote, I actually kinda think Bijou and Panda would make a cute couple. Anyhow, that's it for now, and I will get the next chapter up ASAP! Yaya! (Still spreadin' the language, Numbuh 7!) (PS - The-Orange-Clown - I added u to my favorite authors list too! And thanx for the awesome reviews!) 


	5. Love Hate Relationships

I finally got around to putting up the next chapter. Yay! So here it is. Enjoy.  
  
~  
  
Pashmina lay on the floor of her cage, crying softly. She listened to the rain and the thunder outside her window, thinking to herself how fitting the storm was at this time.  
  
She hated Dexter so much. Ooooh, how she hated him.  
  
But she loved him.  
  
Pashmina's thoughts were interrupted by a few familiar voices coming from the windowsill. It had just started to rain, and June hadn't thought to close the window yet.  
  
"Pashmina!"  
  
"We came here because we thought you might be, like, lonely, and know how totally upset you are."  
  
"Ookyoo."  
  
She looked up, and saw her three best friends had come to pay her a visit. Bijou, Sandy and Penelope were dripping wet from running through the rain just to see her. Pashmina realized how much they cared about her. At least here were three that she could count on, that she could always trust.  
  
Pashmina sniffed and mumbled, "Come on in."  
  
They jumped down from the window and walked over to Pashmina's cage. Pashmina pulled herself up and opened the door of her cage with her head, then climbed out to greet her friends.  
  
"Hey," she managed weakly, wiping a tear from her eye.  
  
"Ookwee!" Penelope hated to see Pashmina crying. She rushed to her side and threw her little arms around Pashmina's waist.  
  
"Thanks, Penny," Pashmina said, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.  
  
Sandy reached out a paw and put it on Pashmina's shoulder. "I know how upset you must be," she said caringly. "I know that Dexter meant as much to you as Max means to me, and if he ever did something like that, I'd - I'd be totally heartbroken." Sandy stared into space, her thoughts suddenly drifting to Maxwell.  
  
Once again Bijou was overcome with a feeling of loneliness. She wished she had someone, too. She wanted someone to love, and to be loved by someone, oh so badly.  
  
Sandy was still staring away into the distance, thinking about her hubby. Bijou snapped her fingers in front of Sandy's face and said "Earth calling Sandy!"  
  
"Oh - oh, sorry," Sandy said, her face going a little red.  
  
Pashmina sighed and turned away. "There's nothing you guys can do to make this better," she said sadly, "Although I do thank you for coming. It means a lot to me. But you should probably go now."  
  
"Vait one moment," Bijou said, facing Pashmina directly. "Pashmina, pull yourself together. Vhat if Dexter vas telling the truth? Vhat if nothing really did happen between him and Hannah?"  
  
Pashmina shook her head. "Howdy told me everything," she said. "Bijou, they kissed. On the lips. Like lovers. I can't forgive him for that."  
  
"So you, like, trust Howdy over Dexter?" Sandy asked. "Even though they were rivals over you and Howdy would probably do anything to have you?"  
  
"You don't understand!" Pashmina said. "Howdy's not like that! He wouldn't make up a lie like that to get me away from Dex. They may be rivals, but they're also friends, and he wouldn't ever hurt Dexter or me like that. Besides, he really seems to have gotten over me. In fact, by what he told me, he has a crush on Hannah, and it's not like he's made any moves on me."  
  
Sandy, Bijou, and Penelope looked at each other. This was news to them. If Howdy had a crush on Hannah...that made the whole situation a whole lot worse.  
  
Tears were starting to form behind Pashmina's eyes. "Anyway, Dexter didn't deny kissing Hannah, he just said he could explain. Well you can't explain that! There was no reason for him to do that! I hate him! I hate him so much!" She broke down and started sobbing. Penelope hugged her closer, letting Pashmina's tears spill onto her head.  
  
"You still love him, don't you?" Sandy asked, calmly and seriously.  
  
"Leave me alone!" Pashmina sobbed. She turned and ran back inside her cage, surprising the others. They had come to cheer her up, and apparently they had only made things worse, though they didn't know how.  
  
~  
  
"Hannah? Hannah, are you in there?"  
  
Dexter had found his way to the apartment where Hannah's owner was spending the next few days. That was as long as he had to fix the whole thing, to put things right again: just a few days.  
  
He looked up and saw a hamster cage sitting on the night table. Climbing onto the table, Dexter called once again, "Hannah, you in there?"  
  
There was no reply. Dexter's eyes searched the inside of the cage; finally he spotted a familiar hamster lying in one corner of the cage, but not at all who he expected.  
  
"Howdy?! What are you doing here?!"  
  
Howdy, who had been lying on his back in deep reflection, sat up. "I ain't exactly on speaking terms with you right now, but I could ask you the same thing," he said, an angry edge to his voice. "Traitor," he added as an afterthought.  
  
Dexter scowled. "Yeah, like I'm the traitor here?" he said. "You're the one who went and told Pashmina that I cheated on her, which is completely not true!"  
  
"Well ya sure fooled me!" Howdy exclaimed. "I thought that messing around with other girls when you already have a girlfriend was generally known as cheating, and I also thought Pashmina had a right to know, seeing as she's your girlfriend."  
  
Dexter sighed. He knew Howdy wasn't about to listen to him if he tried to explain what had happened, so he forgot the notion of talking things out with him. Instead, he asked "Where's Hannah?"  
  
"Dunno," Howdy said. "And what makes you think I'd tell ya if I did know? You'd just want to make out with her again."  
  
Dexter groaned. "WE WEREN'T MAKING OUT!!!" he nearly screamed, wanting to pull out all his fur. "And if you love her so much, why aren't YOU looking for her?"  
  
"Why are you looking for her, if you don't love her?" Howdy shot back.  
  
"Because no one will listen to me, but maybe you'll listen to her!" Dexter replied.  
  
Howdy threw hinself back onto his back with a deep sigh. "Well, she's not here," Howdy said, "So go away. Shoo."  
  
Dexter crossed his arms and lowered his eyebrows, giving Howdy an annoyed and resentful look. Howdy didn't notice; he had closed his eyes, trying desperately to ignore Dexter's presence. Seeing this, Dexter decided to leave Howdy be and continue looking for Hannah elsewhere...although he wasn't sure where to turn to next.  
  
~  
  
I know that chappie was kinda short, but hope everyone liked it anyhow. I know it wasn't the most exciting chapter, either, but, uh, well.just keep review, okay? 


	6. Everybody's Fool

Yeah, I kinda realized that I hadn't updated this story in a while, so HERE IT IS!!! More TOUGH LOVE!!! Enjoy.  
  
Oh yeah - I changed this fic to a rating of PG for the words 'damn' and 'hell.' Sorry.  
  
(Oh yeah again - I don't own Evanescence or their song "Everybody's Fool")  
  
~  
  
Pashmina was sulking. Alone and dejected. She was thinking hard, but so many thoughts and feelings kept racing around in her head that she hardly knew where everything started and where it stopped. She shouldn't have driven her friends off like that, she knew. She needed them now more than ever. But Sandy's words kept pounding in her head like the beat of a drum, steady and eternal.  
  
You still love him, don't you?  
  
Of course she didn't love him! How could she love him after what he had done? Damn that selfish, arrogant, lying, cheating, back-stabbing jerk. Damn him to hell, and he could take Hannah with him for all she cared. She hated him so much.  
  
Then why couldn't she stop thinking about him?  
  
June rushed in the room, soaked from head to foot.  
  
"Oh, you won't believe it, Pashmina!" she cried, taking off her drenched backpack and tossing it on the floor of her room, creating a puddle in the middle of her floor. "Talk about bad luck! It just had to start raining on the way home from school!" She ran to the window and slammed it shut. "I ran all the way here as fast as I could! Stupid storm." June sighed and glanced at the puddle she had created. "Dang. Now mom's gonna kill me on top of everything else. I sure hope your day was better than mine, Pashy. Well, see ya later. I'm meeting Kylie at the movies." June waved to Pashmina and set off without another word.  
  
"You have no idea how bad my day's been," Pashmina said to herself, watching June leave. She got out of her cage, climbed onto the windowsill, and pressed her face against the glass.  
  
And she thought about Dexter.  
  
And a song came to her mind. She had heard it playing before on June's stereo.  
  
perfect by nature  
  
icons of self indulgence  
  
just what we all need  
  
more lies about a world that  
  
never was and never will be  
  
have you no shame don't you see me  
  
you know you've got everybody fooled  
  
look here she comes now  
  
bow down and stare in wonder  
  
oh how we love you  
  
no flaws when you're pretending  
  
but now i know she  
  
never was and never will be  
  
you don't know how you've betrayed me  
  
and somehow you've got everybody fooled  
  
without the mask where will you hide  
  
can't find yourself lost in your lie  
  
i know the truth now  
  
i know who you are  
  
and i don't love you anymore  
  
it never was and never will be  
  
you're not real and you can't save me  
  
somehow now you're everybody's fool  
  
"I need to get out of here," she said, watching the rain splatter on the window. "I don't care how hard it's raining. I can't stand being stuck in here looking out for another second. I need to clear my head, no matter what it takes." With that, she jumped back onto the floor and crawled through her secret tunnel outside.  
  
~  
  
Howdy sat up, still whiling away the hours in Hannah's cage for whatever reason, breathing in her scent, feeling traces of her warmth where she had once laid. He didn't want to admit it, certainly not, but Dexter was right. He should be looking for Hannah, not sitting here thinking about her. Even if she didn't really love him. Even if she was in love with Dexter. It didn't matter, not now. He wanted to see her again.  
  
Howdy scrambled through the door of the cage, onto the floor, and under the apartment's door. He avoided a pair of feet belonging to a man in a gray business suit who had just come up the stairs, and made his way down. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he was going to get there.  
  
~  
  
The rain was pouring down like all hell. The busy streets of town were filled with people rushing to get out of it, some with umbrellas, others less fortunate making desperate dashes under the shelter of a newspaper.  
  
Pashmina ignored it.  
  
Somehow her paws had carried her here, although she didn't know why. As she wandered aimlessly along the sidewalk, raindrops pelting down her face and making her fur stick in all sorts of strange positions, she discovered that she was right outside the door of the eyeglass shop.  
  
She looked up to the window with a sigh. Memories. She used to meet Dexter here sometimes, and they would hold paws and go places together and...and that was before Hannah.  
  
Pashmina turned away angrily. She was about to continue on when she saw the figure of Howdy not too far away. He was standing below the front window of the supermarket.  
  
Pashmina wasn't sure if she should go talk to Howdy or turn around and go back the way she had come. It would be kind of awkward talking to him right now, under the circumstances. But it would also seem strange just to ignore him and walk away. So she did neither. She simply stood and waited for him to notice her.  
  
Finally he spotted her, and came over to talk. Although neither of them knew what about.  
  
"You should be inside. You're bound to catch pneumonia or something out here in the rain," Howdy started.  
  
"Well shouldn't you be inside too, then?" Pashmina asked in reply.  
  
"I'm looking for Hannah," Howdy answered. "I thought she might be around here somewhere. But I haven't seen her."  
  
"Me neither," Pashmina said. She didn't want to even think about Hannah, though.  
  
"So."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
There was an awkward silence. Both were thinking similar thoughts, but they didn't know what to say to each other. Howdy suddenly noticed that tears had clouded Pashmina's eyes.  
  
"Something wrong?" he asked.  
  
"Everything's wrong!" Pashmina shouted. "You know that as well as I do!" She started to cry. She couldn't help it. "God, Howdy, I just can't stop thinking about Dexter! I don't know why!"  
  
"I know how you feel," Howdy said sympathetically. "No matter what, I can't get Hannah off my mind."  
  
Pashmina closed her eyes. So Howdy felt the same as she did. Betrayed, but unable to let go. That was just the way things were sometimes. Without thinking she leaned her head onto Howdy's shoulder, still crying, although her tears were mixed with the rain streaking down her face and it was hard to tell which was which.  
  
Howdy just stood there, letting Pashmina release her pent-up feelings into his fur. There wasn't anything to say or do, nothing that would seem right. He just sighed and wished none of this had ever happened.  
  
Neither of them had expected Dexter to be passing by at that exact moment.  
  
Not that either of them really cared.  
  
He had been all over town, looking everywhere for Hannah, and having no luck. He was cold, the rain having soaked into his fur, and was on his way home, giving up the search for the day. And then he saw them.  
  
Pashmina had snuggled her head into Howdy's chest. He rested the side of his head against the top of hers. She put her arm around his neck. He put one paw on her waist.  
  
Dexter put his paw on his heart. It was pounding like mad.  
  
Howdy and Pashmina. Dexter and Hannah.  
  
Everything was wrong.  
  
Guess they might as well just trade girlfriends.  
  
Without a word, Dexter turned and ran. Somehow he didn't feel like going home anymore. For some reason he just wanted to disappear.  
  
And he wanted Pashmina back.  
  
He couldn't blame Howdy, though. Since Howdy naturally thought he and Hannah were together.  
  
But they weren't, and it was all just one big fat stupid misunderstanding.  
  
Love is a funny thing.  
  
~  
  
Ooh.the plot thickens even more! Yeah, I'm still not done with this fic, but, it's getting there! Hope you guys still like it. PLEASE REVIEW! I CAN'T GO ON WITHOUT REVIEWS!!! 


	7. Falling Apart

*Does a happy dance* I'm happy cuz a lot of people are telling me to continue this fic. Happy to see so many proud supporters of D+P and H+H!!! YAY!!!  
  
Haily-Comet, da master of odd couples, I think you'll like this chappie. Why? Mushy-mushy B+P!!! Yap, that's right! Oh yeah, and I threw in a little S+M for my main woman, Numbuh 7 (and o' course all you other S+M fans).  
  
One other thing - I did change the rating to PG. For a little language and this chappie, a little violence (ack! Violence!) iin the form of a fist- fight. Okay, here goes da fic.  
  
(I don't own Matchbox 20 or their song, "Back 2 Good")  
  
~  
  
Hannah shivered, sitting curled up in the hollow tree she had discovered. The rain had brought with it a strong, cold wind, and the shelter of the tree didn't completely shield her from its chill. She flinched every time a bolt of lightning flashed before her, and every time the rumble of thunder shook the ground. She hated it, but she couldn't go back to the clubhouse now. And if she went back to her owner's apartment, they would still find her. She didn't want to face the trouble she had started, so instead she faced the storm. She wanted to cry again, but instead she curled up further, creating whatever warmth she could, and tried to sleep.  
  
The thunder became louder. Lightning was flashing every few seconds around her.  
  
Suddenly, Hannah saw the air outside the tree light up in a flash of lightning, and at the same time, she heard a loud crack and the whole tree shook. She gasped as it became clear to her that the tree had been struck by lighting. In terror, she ran out of the tree, into the rain. A branch fell with a thud from the tree onto the ground; it was on fire. Hannah watched, horrified, as the fire from the branch spread onto the grass. Although it was raining, the cover of the forest kept a good portion of it from reaching the ground, and there were still areas where the ground was fairly dry and the fire caught on quickly. Hannah ran, but without warning the grass in front of her caught fire and a flame shot up. Hannah screamed and turned in the other direction. Everywhere around her, it seemed, fire raged. Her head was spinning; the heat of the fire mixed with the chill of the wind and rain gave her an odd, dizzy feeling. Smoke rose from the flames and made her cough. Her head reeled. And then - then she simply fell forward, unconscious, as the fire burned on and the rain kept falling.  
  
~  
  
Bijou walked home slowly, soaked from head to foot but not caring at all. She had said goodbye to Sandy and Penelope a few minutes ago, when they had parted for the day, and Sandy had agreed to take Penelope home. Now she was alone, inside and out. She felt so empty, so removed. Pashmina was going through a lot. Love was a fragile, "handle with care" kind of emotion, and somehow Pashmina's had slipped. But Bijou had never even had anyone like that, who wanted - or at least pretended to want - to be with her all the time, to hold her and love her and care for her. Why couldn't she find love? Why did all the obvious choices seem so...wrong?  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted when she ran into something. She had been staring at the ground, at her feet, all the way home, not looking where she was going, and now she felt something against her body.  
  
It was something warm and soft.  
  
Someone warm and soft.  
  
Bijou looked up, not sure who she was expecting to see.  
  
"Oh. Sorry."  
  
That voice, that was - it was Panda!  
  
Bijou's eyes sparkled as she looked up and into his face with relief, acceptance, love...  
  
"I'm sorry, I wasn't watching," he said. "Are you okay?"  
  
Bijou didn't know what was going on inside her. She had never felt like this before. She couldn't find an answer, so she didn't speak, but her body was still pressed against his. Neither of them had made a move to draw back.  
  
"Are you...alright?" Panda tried again.  
  
Bijou nodded. "Oui, zank you," she said. "It vas my fault entirely."  
  
Panda smiled at her. She smiled back.  
  
Then Panda looked away. "Bijou, I -" he started to say, then abruptly stopped.  
  
"Oui?" Bijou looked at him questioningly.  
  
"I - Well I guess I - I was on my way to your house because I felt like I needed to talk to one of you girls about how Pashmina's doing, because I'm worried about her."  
  
"Oh." Bijou stared at the ground. That wasn't exactly what she had been hoping to hear. "Pashmina, she is having some trouble dealing vith everything that has happened, oui. But I think, give her time, she vill get over it, and move on."  
  
Panda nodded. "Good," he said. "I hate to see someone in so much pain."  
  
"I know vhat you mean," Bijou said, at the same time thinking "You have no idea how much pain I am in right now." Here she was, standing right in front of someone who made her feel...good. And alive. And he had no idea how she felt, and he probably didn't feel at all the same way. Oh well. Another wasted dream.  
  
"Bijou, there's something else I want to tell you."  
  
"There is?" Bijou felt her heart beating fast as the hope of love rushed back to her like an arrow.  
  
"Yeah, well, see, I...I guess I...I didn't actually come here to ask you that." Panda's nervousness showed clearly in his shaky voice.  
  
"Then vhy are you here?" Bijou asked, though she could barely hear him over the sound of her own beating heart.  
  
"Because I...because I..."  
  
Panda didn't need to finish what he was saying. Bijou didn't let him. Knowing exactly what he was going to say, and feeling exactly the same way, she pulled him towards her and kissed him. Panda was startled at first, but then gave himself over and returned the kiss. Locked in a loving embrace, the two let the rain pour over them, as if it were the very emotion they were feeling, flooding them suddenly and strongly like a hurricane.  
  
~  
  
"Sandy, you shouldn't worry so much. It should be expected for her to feel this way, and she may keep to herself for days, maybe weeks. But she'll come around, just wait."  
  
Instead of going home, Sandy had decided to pay a visit to Maxwell and voice her concerns about Pashmina's condition, as soon as she had dropped Penelope off at Kylie's house. She hadn't wanted to go home; she had wanted to go back and comfort Pashmina. But Sandy had told her it would be okay, that Pashmina would be herself again very soon. However, Sandy wasn't so sure of that herself.  
  
"But Maxy, you...you should have seen her!" she cried, tears falling down her cheeks. "She looked so lost and helpless! And afraid, too."  
  
Maxwell sat down and pulled Sandy down next to him. He placed his paw on top of hers comfortingly.  
  
"She'll be okay," he said. "I promise. You have to let her think this out on her own, if that's what it takes."  
  
Sandy said no more. She leaned onto Maxwell's shoulder and cried into his fur.  
  
"There, there." Maxwell put his arm around her waist and kissed her lightly on the cheek.  
  
"I hope nothing ever comes between us," Sandy said softly.  
  
"Me too," Maxwell replied, his fur brushing against hers. "Me too."  
  
~  
  
Dexter didn't know where he was running to. He was just running. Away from all the pain, he imagined. He didn't know what else to do, now that he had seen - them - together.  
  
It reminded him of a song. He started humming it to himself, slowly, trying to keep himself company and not think too much about the pain of it all.  
  
It's nothing, it's so normal you  
  
Just stand there I could say so much  
  
But I don't go there cuz I don't want to  
  
I was thinking if you were lonely  
  
Maybe we could leave here and no one would know  
  
At least not to the point that we would think so  
  
Everyone here, knows everyone here is thinking about  
  
Somebody else  
  
It's best if we all keep it under our heads  
  
I couldn't tell, if anyone here was feeling the way I do  
  
But I'm lonely now, and I don't know how  
  
To get it back to good  
  
This don't mean that, you own me  
  
This ain't no good, in fact it's phony as hell  
  
But things worked out just like you wanted too  
  
If you see me out you don't know me  
  
Try to turn your head, try to give me some room  
  
To figure out just what I'm going to do  
  
And everyone here, hates everyone here for doing just like  
  
They do  
  
It's best if we all keep this quiet instead  
  
And I couldn't tell, why everyone here was doing me like  
  
They do  
  
But I'm sorry now, and I don't know how  
  
To get it back to good  
  
Everyone here, is wondering what it's like to be with  
  
Somebody else  
  
Everyone here's to blame, everyone here  
  
Gets caught up in the pleasure of the pain, everyone hides  
  
Shades of shame, but looking inside we're the same, we're  
  
The same  
  
And we're all grown now, but we don't know how  
  
To get it back to good  
  
Everyone here, knows everyone here is thinking 'bout  
  
Somebody else  
  
It's best if we all keep this under our heads  
  
I couldn't tell, if anyone here was feeling the way I do  
  
But it's over now, and I don't know how, it's over now  
  
There's no getting back to good  
  
And then, all of a sudden, he froze. He realized he had reached the edge of the woods near the clubhouse. And he had picked up Hannah's scent. She must have been here recently. Dexter quickly picked out the direction of the scent and was soon on Hannah's trail, relieved that he had finally found her - almost, anyway. Just a little farther, he guessed. Maybe once he found her, and talked to her, maybe she could put things right again. And then, maybe that was wishful thinking. But it was worth a try.  
  
Soon he reached a small clearing in the woods. Hannah's scent was stronger here. She must be close by, Dexter thought. He scanned the clearing for a sign of her presence and noticed several patches of dry, scorched grass where it looked as if a fire had started and then died quickly. Dexter's heart beat a little faster. What if something had happened to her?  
  
And that's when he saw her.  
  
She was lying on her back not too far from the blackened grass.  
  
Dexter hurried over to her, his breath catching in his throat. Please be okay, he kept repeating in his head. Please be okay.  
  
He reached her side and bent over her motionless body. With a gasp, he noticed that her right side was red in places where it appeared she had been burned. Without hesitation, Dexter lifted one of Hannah's paws and felt for a pulse.  
  
Her heart wasn't beating.  
  
~  
  
"Goodbye, Howdy."  
  
Pashmina turned with a wave and headed back towards home, cold from the rain and wind.  
  
"See ya," Howdy replied, and turned in the opposite direction. He wanted to go home. But he had to find Hannah first.  
  
He shuffled along, letting the rain splash down his neck and back, ignoring the cold. Then he turned his head and looked up.  
  
Dexter...  
  
He had been here not long ago. Very recently, in fact.  
  
And that meant...he had seen...  
  
"Serves him right," Howdy said to himself. "If he thinks Pashmina's fallen for me. After what he did to her." Having no other idea of where to begin looking for Hannah, Howdy decided to follow Dexter's trail, which led off in the direction of the clubhouse. Maybe Dexter knew where Hannah was.  
  
Yeah. Maybe they were on a date. In the rain. How romantic.  
  
~  
  
When Howdy reached the clearing in the woods and saw Dexter kneeling next to Hannah, his mouth approaching hers...  
  
He couldn't take it anymore.  
  
He snapped.  
  
"Get yer filthy paws off her!" he screamed. Dexter looked up, startled, and saw Howdy rushing towards him.  
  
"No, Howdy, wait, I -"  
  
Before he could finish his sentence, Howdy had tackled Dexter and he was thrown to the ground with a thud. And then Howdy was on him like white on rice. Without thinking, without even really realizing what he was doing, Howdy just let his anger and hate take over him. He threw punches left and right, completely letting himself go. Dexter tried to block his blows, but it was useless. His anger was controlling him. He was unstoppable.  
  
Eventually, Dexter somehow managed to pull himself up and away from Howdy's fists. He lifted his paw to his face, and felt the blood oozing from his nose.  
  
"Howdy, stop!" he screamed. "Hannah - she's - I'm not -" At the same time trying desperately to explain the situation to Howdy, Dexter was running back towards Hannah, knowing what he had to do. But before he reached her Howdy leapt at him from behind and threw him to the ground again.  
  
It was getting to be too much. Dexter couldn't take it much longer.  
  
"Hannah - she - she needs my help," he managed to say. "Hannah..." And then everything went black.  
  
Howdy stood up. His shoulders rose and fell as he took several deep, coarse breaths. His paws were still curled into fists and hung at his sides. He didn't even notice the tears sliding down his face, not knowing where they were coming from. Slowly he raised a paw and wiped the sweat, rain, and tears off his face with the back of it.  
  
It wasn't until then that he really realized what he had done, as all the anger and hate, now satisfied, drained out of him.  
  
He took a step back, his eyes on Dexter, lying flat on his face in front of him. A thin stream of blood was smeared across his face, and he had a black eye.  
  
Howdy stepped back again.  
  
"Oh god," he said. "What have I done?"  
  
And then he caught the image of Hannah in the corner of his eye.  
  
She was still lying completely motionless on her back. She hadn't moved at all. Howdy slowly approached her, afraid of what he might find.  
  
He knelt beside her and put a hand on her chest, and felt no heartbeat. Oh, god.  
  
And then he saw the burn marks on her right side.  
  
The side of his brain that wouldn't give in, the side that just wanted to blame Dexter for everything, told him that obviously, Dexter had done this to her. That sadistic freak.  
  
And then the rational side of Howdy's brain told him that something bad had happened to Hannah, and Dexter had been trying to help her.  
  
He had seen what he thought was Dexter kissing Hannah. But she was dying. She was unconscious, and her heart had stopped. That meant that...the only reasonable explanation was that...he had been giving her CPR. That's what it was called when you tried to bring mostly dead people back to life, the rational side of Howdy's brain told him.  
  
"Dammit!" Howdy screamed, and ran back to Dexter.  
  
"Dex! I don't know CPR!!! You hafta wake up!" Howdy lifted Dexter's limp body and shook him a few times. He started crying. "Please! Wake up!" Howdy paused. "Buddy?"  
  
There was no reply.  
  
Howdy gave up all hope. He broke down and sobbed.  
  
This time, he had really screwed up.  
  
Really, REALLY bad.  
  
~  
  
OHNO!!! IT KEEPS GETTING WORSE, DON'T IT??? Okay, sorry bout that. A-hem. So, send me those reviews, and tell me how you like da fic. I'm getting near the end now. You'll have to wait and see what happens, dee-dee-dee! 


	8. Making Moves Towards Making Amends

Bet some of you were wondering when I would get this up, weren't you? I left you hanging for too long, didn't I? And now I'm boring you with all this crap at the top, aren't I? Okay, shaddup and read.  
  
~  
  
Pashmina hadn't actually gone home.  
  
She was following Howdy, tracing his scent with each step. He was going to look for Hannah, she knew that much. And Pashmina had realized that she hadn't said a word to Hannah since Howdy had told her what he had seen. It was time to talk things out with her. Give her a piece of her mind.  
  
But Pashmina wasn't expecting what lay before her when she reached the clearing where Howdy's scent mingled with Dexter's and Hannah's. She wasn't ready for what she saw.  
  
In the middle of the clearing, Howdy was sitting, alone, with his face in his paws. She could tell he was sobbing.  
  
Nearby, Hannah was lying flat on her back, motionless. Something awful had obviously happened. Something was terribly wrong.  
  
This became clear to her when she turned her head and saw Dexter, also lying motionless near where Howdy sat. Not only that, but it looked like he had taken a real beating.  
  
Pashmina gasped. What the hell-?  
  
The gasp was loud enough for Howdy's ears to pick up. He looked up and saw Pashmina a few yards in front of him. Her paws were raised to her mouth in horror, and her eyes were wide and staring.  
  
Immediately, Howdy picked himself up and rushed to Pashmina, taking her paws in his. He pleaded desperately with her while tears kept streaming down his face.  
  
"Please tell me you know CPR," he said. "You hafta help me."  
  
Pashmina was frightened out of her wits. She couldn't find the strength to reply.  
  
"Please," Howdy begged. "Hannah, she's - I don't know. I don't even know if she's alive. You hafta help her if you can."  
  
But Pashmina wasn't listening to Howdy. And she wasn't looking at Hannah.  
  
With a tearful cry, she rushed to Dexter's side and knelt beside him.  
  
"Dex," she pleaded, tears falling from her eyes onto his fur. She shook him. "Dex, are you okay?"  
  
Pashmina sat down and propped Dexter's head up in her lap. She ran her paws across his face, tracing her finger through the patterns of blood. Then, with a suddenness and anger that was completely unlike her, she lifted her head and stared Howdy straight in the eyes.  
  
"What happened?" she demanded.  
  
"I, uhhhhhh..." A million excuses raced through Howdy's head. He had fallen out of a tree...a cat had attacked him...he had gotten in a fight with Hannah...And then he realized that a tiny white lie was what had started the whole damn thing. Another one would only make it worse. So instead, he said nothing.  
  
Pashmina narrowed her eyes and glared at him as the tears kept falling. "You did this," she said, short and simple. It wasn't a question. She knew.  
  
"Goddammit, Pashmina," Howdy said, trying to think up a reason. He could say that he saw him with Hannah, and that wouldn't really be a lie, because he had. But he knew how that would sound, and that would only make things worse, too. Then his thoughts raced back to Hannah. She was fading, dying, and here he was, standing around doing absolutely nothing, like a complete idiot, while she slipped from his grasp. "You hafta help Hannah," he said. "Because I can't."  
  
"What do you want me to do?" Pashmina cried. "I don't know CPR! I don't know what I can do to help her!" She looked away from Howdy and back down at Dexter. Slowly, as she watched, his eyes blinked open, and he let out a low groan.  
  
"Ugh," he said. "What the hell happened?" Then Pashmina's face, bending over him concernedly, came into sharp focus. "Pashmina?" he muttered, watching the muscles in her face relax a bit as he came to.  
  
"Oh thank God," Pashmina murmured, and closed her eyes.  
  
"Dex!" Howdy shouted, and rushed towards him.  
  
"Oh no," Dexter moaned, everything that had just happened coming back to him in a rush. He struggled to stand up, but was still weak and dazed, and found that he even lacked the strength to do more than sit up and lean his weight against Pashmina.  
  
"Dex, come on!" Howdy said anxiously, reaching out an arm to help Dexter up. "Hannah - she's - you - you're the only one who can help her!"  
  
Howdy pulled Dexter onto his feet, but he stumbled, feeling as if any second his knees would give out beneath him. Despite this, he did not object as Howdy led him to Hannah's side.  
  
"You can help her, right?"  
  
Dexter looked at Howdy. Howdy's face showed clearly his anxiety, his tension, so built up that he might explode at any second if Hannah didn't come back around. He knew perfectly well that at that moment she was dancing along a fine line between life and death, and every second that ticked by brought her closer to death.  
  
Dexter sighed and once again knelt beside Hannah. He hesitated a moment as he prepared to give her mouth-to-mouth, feeling Pashmina's eyes burning into the back of his head. But he didn't have a choice now, did he?  
  
But as he held her head up and began to press his mouth to hers, the blood in his head started rushing like crazy. Everything swirled around him.  
  
"Oh god," he muttered, and fell backwards, holding a paw to his forehead. "I...can't..."  
  
"What?!" Howdy screamed, tears streaming down his face as he imagined the worst possible thing happening. "You can't just give up! She's going to die if you don't help her!"  
  
"I don't have the strength," Dexter stuttered, his eyes closed. "You have to do it."  
  
Howdy looked shocked. "But I can't -"  
  
"Just do what I tell you. It's going to be okay." Dexter watched as Howdy read the look on his face, then sighed and knelt beside Hannah.  
  
"Okay, first things first," Dexter said. "Pinch her nose shut and tilt her head back." Howdy did as he was instructed, then waited for the next step. "Now, deep breath, seal her mouth closed with yours, and breath out."  
  
This was it. Howdy closed his eyes and pressed his mouth to Hannah's, then watched her chest rise as air filled her lungs.  
  
"Again," Dexter said after waiting a few seconds. Howdy repeated the process, hoping against all hope that he would be able to bring her back.  
  
For what seemed like hours but what couldn't have been more than a minute or two, Dexter continued to guide Howdy, both of them watching and waiting for any sign of life. Howdy had almost given up all hope completely when Dexter told him to feel for a pulse.  
  
Trying not to show his resignation, Howdy gingerly lifted one of Hannah's wrists and pressed his finger against it, searching for the tell-tale sign of life, the pulse of blood through healthy veins.  
  
Please, please, please...  
  
And then, as if the sun had just come bursting through the clouds although it was still raining, Howdy's face lit up and a hopeful smile pressed at the edges of his mouth. He squeezed Hannah's paw in his, overjoyed.  
  
Dexter read Howdy's transformed expression and he, too, smiled.  
  
"I think she's going to pull through," he said in a near whisper. Howdy glanced at him through eyes moisted over by joyful tears, then turned his attention back to Hannah, who was still unconscious but perfectly alive.  
  
And then, suddenly, her eyes fluttered open and she was staring up at Howdy, a dazed expression on her face.  
  
"I - wha - Howdy" was all she managed to say before she closed her eyes again and drifted back into unconsciousness.  
  
"Okay Hannah, it's gonna be okay," Howdy told her even though he knew she couldn't hear. Then, with a new surge of confidence, he lifted Hannah off the ground and onto his back, her breath against his fur more comforting and reassuring than anything he had ever felt before. "Let's get you back to the clubhouse. We'll take care of you there."  
  
Without a word to either Dexter or Pashmina, Howdy took off for the clubhouse. Not wanting to be left behind, Pashmina stood, help Dexter to his feet and then the two of them were on their way as well.  
  
All the way back, Pashmina never once let go of Dexter's paw.  
  
~  
  
"What the heck happened?" Boss asked when Howdy threw open the door of the clubhouse, immediately recognizing the girl he carried with him and noting the scars on her side, as well as her state of unconsciousness. They were the only ones there; none of the other Hams had bothered to stop by.  
  
"I'm not entirely sure," Howdy replied. "But she's hurt. And she needs help fast."  
  
"Put her down," Boss said. "I'll have a look."  
  
As Howdy slowly lowered Hannah to the floor, the door opened again and Pashmina appeared, Dexter clinging to her arm for support.  
  
Boss looked up. "And what the hell happened to you?" he asked, surprised.  
  
Great, here we go, Howdy thought to himself. Now Dex is gonna tell Boss how I beat him up when he was trying to help Hannah, and soon everyone will know what a stupid jerk I am and how -  
  
"Eh," Dexter said, scratching the back of his head self-consciously. "I dunno...it's kind of a blur...but never mind. Hannah needs us."  
  
Howdy's eyebrows rose, and he glanced at Dexter with a look that said "You're not gonna tell him?"  
  
Dexter smiled, shook his head and mouthed the words "Forget about it."  
  
Howdy shrugged and turned his attention back to Hannah, leaning over her limp body anxiously. Then he looked at Boss.  
  
"What should we do?" he asked.  
  
Boss sighed. "The best we can do for her burns right now is to cool her down. Make her comfortable. She's been through a lot, and we shouldn't move her around any more right now."  
  
Howdy nodded and watched as Boss disappeared into his room, then reappeared a moment later with two bags of ice.  
  
"Turn her on her side," he told Howdy. Once he had done this, Boss placed one of the bags of ice on her burns to soothe them. The other he put on her forehead.  
  
"There," he said. "Hopefully that will help. But I don't know what else to tell you. All we can do is hope for the best, I guess."  
  
Howdy nodded silently, then sat down beside Hannah.  
  
"Well, I'm staying by her side until she's better," he announced, not even thinking about the possibility that she might not get better.  
  
Dexter sat down next to Howdy with a sigh. "Can't leave her now," he said.  
  
Pashmina said nothing. Of course Dexter couldn't leave Hannah's side, seeing as how he was madly in love with her. It was then that Pashmina remembered how much he disgusted her. But what could she do? It would feel wrong to leave both of them here, wondering if Hannah would pull through. Besides, despite the fact that she had stolen her boyfriend, she couldn't help worrying about Hannah as well. Pashmina took a deep breath, feeling as if she would start crying any second, and sat down beside Dexter.  
  
He surprised her by gently taking her paw and squeezing it in his. Then she couldn't help it any more. She just leaned against him and cried. She wasn't even sure what she was crying for.  
  
~  
  
Weeeeheeeeeeeeeee I'm on a high on a high, there's nothing more to it! We are the sea and the sky and the blue that runs through it, yeah! Oh wait, that's a Duncan Sheik song. Okay, just uhhhhhh just review it OKAY?! 


	9. The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

Sorry this story is taking me a while. and this chapter is actually fairly short compared to most of my other ones. but I think I only have like one more chapter to go so just be patient with me, okay? Now read, I commandeth you! Oh yeah, and review too, if you please.  
  
~  
  
"How am I going to tell him?"  
  
Bijou sat next to Panda on her windowsill, her head on his shoulder, gazing out at the steadily setting sun.  
  
"I'll tell him."  
  
"Panda, he's going to hate you!" Despite herself, Bijou started crying softly, her sobs muffled by Panda's fur.  
  
Panda shook his head. "He can't hate me for loving you, especially since you feel the same way. Bij, he's not like that. I know how much he's head- over-paws for you too, but when he sees the way we feel about each other...well...he's going to be okay with it, I promise."  
  
"But...how can you be sure?" Bijou stuttered as Panda wiped a tear from her eye.  
  
"There's no use worrying over it. You're not going to let Boss's feelings stand in the way of our love, are you?"  
  
Bijou didn't reply, but shook her head slowly.  
  
"Look, it's getting late," Panda sighed after a moment of silence. "I'll meet you here tomorrow morning, okay? We'll tell him together. I'm sure he'll only wish us all the best."  
  
Bijou remained silent as they stood and Panda touched her lips with a soft good-night kiss. She watched him hurry off home from the safety of her own window, then turned and crawled back into her cage.  
  
It was a long night for her. She could hardly sleep, thinking about what Boss would do or say or feel or think when she told him that she was in love with Panda. Boss was a great guy, and she didn't want to hurt him, because she knew that under his gruff field hamster body was a soft, fragile heart. And she loved him plenty, just not...like that. He would find out eventually. It would be best to tell him now. But still she dreaded the moment when she would have to break his heart.  
  
~  
  
It was a long night for Howdy, Dexter, and Pashmina too, waiting in deep silence at the clubhouse. Boss had no problem with them staying, of course; mi casa es su casa, as he would have said if he knew any Latin. But there were so many mixed emotions between the four of them - Howdy, Hannah, Pashmina and Dexter - that nobody knew what to say to anyone else. Heck, nobody even wanted to say anything. The thick silence between them apparently made Boss uncomfortable, because he went to bed early.  
  
Howdy sat beside Hannah, watching her chest rise and fall, grateful that she was breathing and thus not too far gone. After a while he glanced up at Dexter. He was unsure which he felt stronger: anger because Dexter had cheated on Pashmina with Hannah, or thankfulness because, quite frankly, Dexter had saved Hannah's life. It was confusing, really. It's hard to hate someone when they've done something like that.  
  
Dexter sat in silence, listening to Howdy mumble words of comfort to Hannah even though he knew that she couldn't hear him. It was reassuring, in a way.  
  
After many long moments, Dexter felt a sudden weight on his shoulder. He turned his head slightly to see Pashmina's resting against him. She was fast asleep.  
  
For a while he only sat there, thinking to himself about how beautiful the sound of Pashmina's breathing was, how soft the feel of her breath against his fur. And then his eyelids became heavy, his vision unsteady, and he began to drift off to sleep as well. The last thing he heard before he fell asleep was Howdy saying "I love you, Hannah...don't let go..."  
  
~  
  
Dexter was standing in the middle of an open meadow. The sun was shining, the sky was clear and blue, and the air was oh so fresh and sweet.  
  
He looked around, taking in his surroundings, breathing in the cool, refreshing breeze. He lifted his gaze to the cloudless blue expanse above him. When he looked back in front of him, Hannah was standing there, smiling. She was holding a small boquet of flowers, red and yellow and gold, the most beautiful flowers he'd ever seen.  
  
"Aren't they pretty?" she said, her voice shaken a little by excited giggles. Dexter couldn't think to respond, he only nodded his head a little, looking into her deep brown eyes...  
  
She edged closer to him, pressing the flowers to her chest.  
  
"I picked them for you," she said, still giggling. She kept moving closer to him, until finally her body was pressed against his, only the flowers between them.  
  
"For you," she repeated.  
  
But something else had drawn Dexter's attention. On the far edge of the meadow...Howdy and Pashmina were together...they were kissing...deeper and deeper...and then, suddenly, Pashmina seemed to collapse, as if every ounce of life in her had suddenly drained away. She fell into Howdy's arms. Howdy looked up, staring across the meadow at Dexter with a savage look that clearly said something along the lines of "You God-damned son of a-"  
  
Suddenly the sky was clouded and dark, and rain began to fall heavily, pounding against the ground. It was only then that Dexter noticed that Hannah was gone. He turned and saw her running away, crying; she had dropped the flowers, and they were lying at his feet, only now they were brown and dead...  
  
"Dex, wake up!"  
  
Someone was shaking him by the shoulders.  
  
"Wake up and see!"  
  
He blinked and saw Howdy standing in front of him, grinning broadly.  
  
"Huh?" Dexter mumbled. "Wha...what's..."  
  
"It's Hannah! She's awake! Dex, she's okay!"  
  
~  
  
Hahahaha! Yes, you probably knew already that I wasn't going to make Hannah die. I mean, that would pretty much ruin the point of the whole fic!!! Oh yeah, and for those of you who like to read really deep into stuff, that whole dream sequence thing, there really wasn't any kind of meaning or symbolism in that. Yeah, I'm just weird. The flowers? I don't know what the hell they were supposed to represent! That's the problem with English class. They teach you to analyze writing but I bet about half of the stuff they tell you is made up. Oh well. Like I said, send me a nice little review - or a flame, whatever you want to do - and I'll finish writing this little fic o' mine pretty soon.  
  
PS: I know a lot of you are waiting for the next chapter of "The Untold Hamtaro," but so many people sent me ideas that it's taking me a while to put it together! Don't worry though, hopefully I'll have it up soon. Oh yeah, and more of "Hamtaro's Extremely Demented 12 Days O' X-mas" too. 


	10. Sandalwood

Alas, FINALLY, the last chapter of this freaking fic. PHEW! Sorry it took so long. I was busy for awhile, then I was gone for awhile, then I was busy again...Anyhow. Read and review please. Also, I apologize to those of you who simply can't take this kind of thing, but there are absolutely disgusting amounts of mushy-gushy lovey-dovey stuff in this chapter. Especially at the end.

---

Sure enough, there was Hannah, alive and well as the day she was born. A little pale, perhaps, her smile weak and her brown eyes cloudy, but alive and well.

"Hannah!" Dexter said cheerfully, almost knocking Howdy off his feet in his haste to stand up. He lifted Hannah, who barely had enough strength to sit up, and held her close for a few seconds. "You had me really worried there, you know."

Hannah was smiling more brightly than before when Dexter released her. "You're not the only one," she said. "When I woke up, Howdy was practically crying."

"Oh I was not," Howdy denied hastily, making it all the more obvious that it was true.

"We were all worried," Pashmina said, but her voice was solemn. "Oh, and by the way, Hannah?"

Hannah smiled at her. "Yes?"

"You can keep him." Pashmina turned and stormed out of the clubhouse.

"Wha-" Hannah started to say, trying to piece together Pashmina's words. Then it dawned on her. "Oh no...she still thinks...?"

Dexter was way ahead of her.

"Pashmina!" he shouted, hurrying out of the clubhouse behind her.

"Here we go again," Howdy mumbled, burying his face in his paws.

There was a brief, awkward silence.

Then Hannah said softly "Howdy?"

Howdy looked at her. "Yeah?"

"I love you, and I need to know that you know that."

Howdy looked surprised. "But you-"

Hannah interrupted him. "And I need to make things better."

"What?" Howdy looked at her, confused.

"I screwed everything up, okay? It's my fault and I need to fix it! I love you and you love me and Dexter loves Pashmina and Pashmina loves Dexter, okay? But right now things are all messed up and I messed them up and I feel like such a horrible -"

Hannah was suddenly aware that she was unable to finish what she was saying, because it just so happened that Howdy's lips were pressed to hers and she wasn't quite sure how they had gotten there. But she liked it.

---

"Pashmina! Wait!"

Pashmina kept running, but she was crying too, and unsteady, and when she started to stumble she felt Dexter grab her arm, then pull her around so she was facing him.

"Can't you just give me one chance to explain everything before you judge me?" he asked her, his face blurred in her vision by her own tears.

"You had your chance!" she screamed at him, trying to pull herself away, but his grip was strong. "I'm not freaking blind! I saw the way you and Hannah were hugging on each other back there! It's obvious you love her, so just leave me alone!"

"For crying out loud, Pashmina!" Dexter was shouting now too. "I'm not allowed to show the slightest sign of affection towards any other member of the opposite sex besides you, is that it? Hannah almost died!"

"I almost died!" Pashmina cried in between shaking sobs. "I almost died when I found out you didn't love me anymore!"

"I've never loved anyone but you!" Dexter replied. "Why won't you believe me?"

"Just leave me alone!" Pashmina screamed, tears racing down the sides of her face. "Just stay the hell away from me!" Without hesitation, she lifted her free paw and struck him across the face as hard as she could, harder than she thought possible. Immdiately, Dexter released her, and she turned to run, but then noticed there was a faint smear of blood on her paw. For a second she paused, trying to determine its source. She felt no pain in her paw, so why was there blood?

She turned around and looked at Dexter. He stared back at her, speechless, as a tiny stream of blood made its way slowly down the side of his face. When Pashmina slapped him, it had reopened a cut on his face inflicted by Howdy's fists of rage.

"Oh - " Pashmina said, putting a paw to her mouth. "Oh no, I didn't mean to..." There were still tears at the corners of her eyes, and she suddenly remembered why she had hit him in the first place. "What the hell am I saying?" she shouted suddenly. "Why should I care? You obviously don't mind hurting me, so why should I feel guilty about hurting you? Hell with it, you can go die for all I care! Just get out of my life!" She started to run away again, but stopped when she heard Hannah's voice.

"Surely you don't mean that."

Slowly, Pashmina turned. She hadn't noticed Howdy come out of the clubhouse carrying Hannah, who was now standing but resting her weight against Howdy.

"I mean it with all my heart," Pashmina replied coldly. "Or whatever's left of it."

"Pashmina, I have a confession," Hannah continued solemnly.

Pashmina gave her an icy stare but said nothing.

"This whole damn mess is my fault," Hannah went on. "For God's sake, Dexter was never in the least bit disloyal to you. It was my fault."

Pashmina's expression softened the slightest bit, but she still didn't appear ready to believe a word Hannah was saying. Howdy looked utterly surprised and a little confused by Hannah's words. Dexter, knowing exactly what Hannah was getting at, took a deep breath. If she believed Hannah, Pashmina at least wouldn't hate him anymore. But she would most definitely have it in for Hannah.

Sensing the others' surprise and realizing no one was about to say anything, Hannah continued. "That's right," she said, still looking Pashmina hard in the eyes. "It's a little hard to explain...I mean, it was really strange, the way I felt then...when I...when Howdy told me how he had lied to me, and -"

"Hold it, you're not gonna blame this on me, are ya?" Howdy asked her, a little startled.

"No, no, let me finish!" Hannah shouted, shaking her head. "All of a sudden then, I felt...well I...I was...I was jealous, I admit it. I mean, just seeing you two together -" She glanced at Pashmina and Dexter and then quickly looked away. "And feeling like such a fool for ever thinking that maybe Dexter had had some feelings for me before, and here Howdy had just told me how he loved me but then told me he lied to me too, and I just thought to myself, how could someone who loves me lie to me like that?" Tears were starting to glide down the sides of Hannah's face, and she trailed off and took a deep breath before going on. The others were speechless, all three of them gaping at her, wondering what exactly was going through her head.

"So I did it. I did something I never thought I was capable of, I...I just kissed him, and it felt so damn good, but only until I realized what I had done, how I had been so wrong, and then I just felt horrible, because I am, I hate myself, I -" She broke off, sobbing, but Howdy pulled her closer to him and comforted her.

"Don't you dare ever say that again," he told her. "It's not your fault. You're no worse than I am. It's my fault. God, Hannah, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel that way."

Hannah pressed her face against Howdy's fur, smearing her tears across her cheeks. Then she looked up at him, sniffling.

"No, it's okay," she said faintly. "I shouldn't have acted like such...such a child about it." Tears were still welling up in her eyes and as Howdy brushed them away Hannah turned her gaze to Pashmina.

"Pashmina." Hannah took a deep breath in an attempt to stifle her sobs. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. Please, I - I didn't mean anything, I only - I don't know what came over me." She looked as if she were about to choke on the tears she was holding back now. "I'm so sorry," she repeated.

It was silent then, for a brief moment.

Please forgive me, Hannah thought to herself, watching Pashmina's face closely.

Oh God, she's gonna kill her, Dexter was thinking.

Sweet, I can read people's minds, Howdy discovered. (A/N: Oh wait, just kidding.)

Pashmina suddenly realized that all eyes were on her, and she quickly turned away. Then she closed her eyes and tears began to fall across her face as well. Before anyone knew what was happening her face was buried in her paws and she was weeping.

Dexter hurried over to her and wrapped his arms around her, letting her tears soak into his fur and murmuring "Shhh, it's okay."

Then she did something that really surprised him. She drew away from him a little, looked into his eyes and whispered "How can you still love me after the way I just treated you?"

Dexter kissed her forehead gently and whispered back, "Because we always hurt the ones we love."

He pulled her towards himself again, and her lips brushed his neck. Then she looked back at Hannah and immediately noticed the awkwards looks on her and Howdy's faces. Obviously they were interested in this reestablished love but trying very hard not to appear nosy, which was hard to do since they were standing no more than two feet away.

Pashmina cleared her throat and took a step towards Hannah. She looked at the ground for a second, then back at Hannah.

"Hannah," she sighed. "We all make mistakes, and I can understand how you would have felt in that position. What matters is that everyone's okay, and everything's right again. Of course I can forgive you." She held out a paw for Hannah to shake. "Friends?"

Instead of taking her paw, Hannah leapt forward and threw her arms around Pashmina, stumbling a little because her strength had not yet fully returned.

"Thank you," she breathed, tears once again flooding her eyes but this time from joy. "You're a good friend."

Pashmina smiled, returning Hannah's embrace and then some, since Hannah's weakness required a little support.

Howdy glanced at Dexter and sighed.

"Dammit," he said, looking at his feet. "I'm sorry too. I mean, hell, I completely kicked your ass."

Dexter frowned for a second, but then he couldn't hold back a laugh. "Yeah, you did."

"And all over some dumb misunderstanding, too."

"Yeah." Dexter sighed. For a second they just stood there, unsure of what to say or do. And then the laughter just consumed them. Howdy started laughing so hard that tears were falling down his face and he had to lean his weight against Dexter just to keep from falling over. Dexter, also laughing, patted him on the back and said "Glad things are back to normal."

---

Boss had stayed behind at the clubhouse, not wanting to get himself involved in the others' ordeal. With a sigh he sat down in his armchair and stretched, making himself comfortable. In fact he was just starting to doze off when there was a knock at the door.

"You don't have to knock, ya know," he shouted. "Come on in and join the party."

The door creaked open slowly. Boss looked up over the back of his chair and saw Bijou poking her head into the clubhouse.

"Are you ze only one here?" she asked him.

"Yeah, for now," he replied. Then he thought to himself - Oooooohhh man, me and Bij, ALONE? Maybe now I can finally confess how much I -

"Hey." As Bijou entered the clubhouse Panda appeared behind her. And what's more, they were holding paws.

Boss's jaw dropped when he saw that. "B-Bij...you and Panda...?"

Bijou nodded. "Boss, there's no easy way for me to tell you this." She took a deep breath, watching the pained expression on Boss's face. "I know how much you care for me even though you've never expressed your feelings in words. But Boss, even though I care about you very deeply as well, it's not the same way that I care for Panda. I...I love him. I love Panda."

Boss slumped down in his chair, turning back around, away from Bijou and Panda.

"I knew it would come to this, something like this, eventually," he murmured, his voice dry.

"Boss, I love Bijou, too," Panda's voice came. "I love her more than anything. Please don't be angry. We love each other and we can't change that. You can't change that."

Boss stood up and walked over to them. His expression was odd; he was obviously crushed, but trying incredibly hard not to show it.

"Angry?" he said. "How could I be angry? That's the dumbest thing I ever heard."

"But Boss, you must be upset," Bijou said.

"Maybe a little," he replied. "Yeah, I gotta admit, I always thought you were the one for me, Bij. But Panda's right, I can't change who you love. I wish you and Panda all the best."

"Really?" Panda said, looking a little surprised.

Boss nodded. "All the best."

Bijou smiled and hugged him. "Merci," she told him. "That is, thank you. You're a good friend."

Boss smiled back, but as he watched the couple turn and leave him there alone, he couldn't stop a few tears from clouding his vision.

---

"So. Yer leaving tomorrow."

Hannah nodded. She was sitting next to Howdy in her own cage, smiling as she felt his fingers tracing around her ears, her chin, her paws, her side...her tail. She had almost wanted to slap him when he got there, but then restrained herself because it really did feel good. To be loved like that.

"I'm gonna miss you like hell," he told her.

"I know, and I'll miss you too," she replied. "At least we get to spend this one last evening together, right? For now, I mean. I'll be back, of course."

"Yeah." Howdy sighed and wrapped his arm around Hannah so that she was pulled closer to him. She smiled and looked into his eyes.

"Tell me how you feel about me," she told him.

"I love you," he told her. "Love ya, love ya, love ya." As he said this he tickled her and then as she was giggling helplessly he held her face in his paws and drew it into his. She willingly returned the kiss, and after a few seconds noticed a salty taste in her mouth. Then she realized it was from her own tears that had slipped down her face, tears she was crying silently because she would miss him like hell, too.

---

At the same time, Pashmina and Dexter were standing paw-in-paw on Pashmina's windowsill.

"So, bet you're glad all that's over," she told him with a smile.

"Yes, thank heavens," he replied.

It was quiet for a moment. Then Dexter cleared his throat and said, "Well, I guess I better head home. See you tomorrow." He leaned over and gave Pashmina a quick peck on the cheek, then turned to go.

Pashmina grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Without a word she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his in the most passionate kiss she had ever delivered. His paws came to rest on her hips as he returned the kiss. Suddenly there was a kind of jolt and they fell apart from one another. It became apparent that Pashmina had backed up all the way to the side of the windowsill, where the wall had stopped her.

Dexter laughed. "Why'd you move?"

"You were pushing me," Pashmina replied.

"I was?" Dexter looked embarassed. "Sorry."

Pashmina smiled. "It's okay. I liked it." And she allowed herself to be drawn into one more kiss, a good-night kiss strong enough to last them through the night.

---

"I broke his heart. I broke his heart!" Bijou was crying, sitting on the grass outside Maria's house wth Panda beside her. She leaned against him and let the tears flow.

"Hush," Panda told her. "You weren't the one for him. He'd have to learn that sooner or later, and better it be sooner. You did the right thing. He'll get over it, I promise."

Bijou sobbed. "I don't think I've ever hurt someone like that in my life!"

"It's not your fault," Panda told her.

"Did you see the look on his face?" Bijou asked, and sniffed. "Did you see how much pain I caused him?"

Panda stroked her fur and kissed the top of her head. "Don't cry. It's gonna be okay, I promise."

Bijou sniffled a little and looked at him longingly. "Thank you," she told him. "Thank you for being there. Thank you...for loving me."

Panda smiled. "I can't help it," he said.

Bijou giggled. "I love you, Panda."

"And I you," he replied.

Their lips met, and for a few precious moments they shared a kiss, one of a newfound love, something true and wonderful. Something neither of them had ever had before, and something they never wanted to let go of.

---

Boss had spent almost the entire day in bed. But he wasn't asleep. He tossed and turned restlessly, but he couldn't help feeling like his heart was shattered into a million pieces.

He closed his eyes and tried to think about other things. All the nice, good things in life. Everything he had worth living for.

It was hard to do.

And then came another knock on the door. It was very soft at first, so that he wasn't sure he had actually heard anything and he just turned over and kept trying to sleep. Then it came again, a little louder.

"Who's there?" he grumbled. "You can let yourself in."

From his bedroom he heard the front door open and gentle footsteps across the floor. Then whoever it was knocked on his bedroom door.

"Can't this wait til the morning?" he groaned, staring at the ceiling and not bothering to get up.

"Oh...I'm sorry." The voice belonged to someone he hadn't seen in a while. "It's just that I was in the neighborhood, and kind of lonely..."

Boss recognized her voice immediately, jumped up and opened the door.

"Harmony," he said.

"Boss," she said. "Long time no see."

---

So this is where it ends, with an obvious romance starting to bud between Boss and Harmony. I mean, with Bijou and Panda together, I didn't want to leave Boss all alone and sad! And Boss x Harmony is the next best Boss couple to BxB, in my opinion anyhow. I didn't know what else to put in there, but the way I ended it makes it seem like I should do a sequel. The only problem is, I don't know what it would be about, what the conflict would be or anything. So if you want me to do a sequel, tell me in your reviews and also give me an idea or two for what could happen. If no one says they want a sequel, then I ain't writing one. Plus anyhow, I have to work on my next fic now, the SxM one I mentioned before. Anywho, review please, tell me how you liked this fic overall, and if you want me to do more drama-type fics in the future (although I will continue with my humor as well, I promise!).

Your humble servant,

THE GENIE MASTER,

signing off (for now).

---

She can't tell me that all of the love songs have been written

Cuz she's never been in love with you before

Your skin smells lovely like sandalwood

Your hair falls soft like animals

I'm trying to keep cool, but everyone likes you

I want to kiss the back of your neck

The top of your spine where your hair hits

And gnaw on your fingertips and fall asleep

I'll talk you to sleep

But I'll be the one

And I will have chosen

I'm trying to keep cool but everyone here likes you

I'm not the only one

Your skin smells lovely like sandalwood

Your hair falls soft like animals

And nothing else matters to me

But she can't tell me that all of the love songs have been written

Cuz she's never been in love with you before

In love with you before

Your hand, so hot, burns a hole in my hand

I wanted to show you

-'Sandalwood' by Lisa Loeb


End file.
